Film drier



Aug. 17, 1943.

F. c. FREY FILM DRIER Filed Oct. 15, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 47 IINVENTOK 790/705 5 7 7a Wiw ATTORNEY F. C. FREY Aug. 17, 1943.

FILM DRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 15 1940 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 17, 1943 UNITEDQ.STATES PATENTTOFF lCE-" V FILM DRIER FrancisCrFr ey, Los lingelespCalif. I Application October 15, 1940, Serial No. 361,246 i, 1 26mins. feral-.122), V This invention relates'to apparatus drying photographic film. g

It is well-known that after'development, the emulsion on a film retains considerable moisture. .To dry such-film it has been customary to hang it on a support; but such 'a'proces's may require as much as ten or twelve hours, with att endant dangerof warping or'curling.

By the aid of the present invention, the period i required'for drying may be greatly reduced and yet this is accomplished'by simple, inexpensive apparatus.

In carrying out this object; use is made of a stream of heated air. Accordingly it is'one of the objects of this invention to provide a practical and inexpensive drier for photographic films,

. operating by virtue of a stream'ofheated air.

It is anothercbject'o f this invention to provide such apparatus which will dry the film uniformly.

It is another V vide such apparatus which 7 will maintain the film.againstlcurling'duringdrying. It is still another. object of the invention to provide a film drier which either roll film or cut film.

It is a still further. objectjof the inventiontoprovide a film drier which:is, simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and may be readily knocked down to occupy less space, as fOIShiIlping, or packing,

This invention possesses many other-advantages, and hasother objectswhich may be made more easily apparent from a consideration of several embodiments of the invention. I For this purpose there are shown a few forms in the draw ings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. These forms will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken object of this invention to prois adapted for use with Fig.6 is an end elevation ofan alternative form of reel which may be used with the drier; and

7 is a side elevation of the reel of Fig. 6. 7

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figs.[1;'2 and 3,the drier comprises a reel or cage or drum I having longitudinalbars 2 which are .intended to carry the film II to be" dried. This film, which may be of any length, maybe attached at each end to the appropriateflbars 2, as

by thespring clips'12, and 'rubberbands passed around thebarand hooked on hooks' 13jof the" clips'12. Thedrum or reel may of course carry as many lengths of filmlI as may be ac'commo- "scribed, the drum is rotated by appropriate heater in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a pictorial View of the film drier;

Fig, 2 is a transverse section through the drier;

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in elevation, and partly in section as seen on plane 3-3 of Fig. 2

Fig. i is a cross section on an enlarged scale, as on plane 4-4 of Fig. 3, part ofthe figure being broken away to reduce its size;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross section on an enlarged scale as seen on plane 5-5 of Fig. 2;

means. Beneath the reel I and with its axis at right angles to the axis of the reel I, is a small motor 6 carrying a fan! adapted to'force air through an opening 8 in the top of the housing" transversely against reel I.

vided in one end of'housing 5 to admit air, a

are joined and maintained in spaced relation well as against relative rotation by means of the longitudinally extending bars 2. These bars are equally spaced about the periphery of the discs, and may be of any convenient number. For roll film, the bars may be round and fairly closely spaced, as shown. For cut film a modified form of reel may be used, as will be described later.

The end plates I I and I2 are each provided with an opening, I3 and I4 respectively, to receive a supporting shaft I5. A pulley I8 is secured on shaft I5 near one end thereof, as by means of a pin I'I. Pulley I6 carries an ofiset projecting pin I8 which engages a hole IS in end plate I I, whereby rotation of the pulley I6 is imparted to the reel I. Since the cage or reel I is detachable I from shaft I5, the other plate I2 has a similar hole 20 for receiving pin I8, making it possible to insert shaft I5 from either end of reel I.

Uprights 3 and 4 are identical flat bars fitting An opening 9 is pro-' I0 being appropriately mounted in the housing so that the entering'air' passes over it suitable brackets 22 and 23 secured to the inner 7. surface of the sides of box in any convenient manner, as for example, by welding or riveting. Brackets .22 and 23 are closed at their lower ends, so as to support the uprights 3, 4 in a detachable manner; The uprights are inserted in the brackets and rest on the lower ends. The upper ends of the uprights are provided with half-round openings 24 and in which shaft l5 rests.

Shaft 15 togetlferjwithreel ordrurn l may be readily lifted from slots-Q4 and 25,-afterwhich uprights 3 and 4 may be removed from their supporting brackets 22, 23[ Thus the drier may be readily disassembled so as to occupy less space when desired, as for shipping. Furthermore the rods2 by the aid of clips 12.

with a suitable thumb screw 49 to hold it shut. Rubber feet 50 are provided on the outside of bottom 41.

The use of the drier is self-evident; Film II is wound about the reel 1, being suitably secured to The switch is then closed, energizing the motor 6 and the heater [8. This causes the reel I to revolve; at the same time fan I forces air through'opening 8 against tli'eqfieripherybf ithe rl,ithi'sair;1eing drawn th'r'ou'ghoiaenihgfi and passingbvefithelreater ID. The film 12 is thus subjected to the stream of he'ated air, directed in a general radial direction toward the drum periphery and against the exshaft l5 may be removed from the reel l by a simple axial movement, and inserted inanother reel of the same or different type.

The motor 6 is mounted in housing 5 immedi I ately below the reell on a bracket 2! attachedfito oneieneizs of ese s. Motorfi'has aivertic ismia 2s upo'ijlfiwhichis mfourited pull yz'e surmounted by ra Tam i sjulst below thetop senor 100x 5, the top'bem 'p ov ueu; as; before stuteu witn :an opening 1" to permitdischa'rge ."oi an" the} ram. and covered by 'a suitable grillor s'creen i L The other "end "3'2 Lof 'bfaseffi similar'inareaitofopenirig 8 "andcoveredby alike screen: or *grill :3. The heating element fit is nlbfl nted "ill the base al dja'cntfoplling 91 A sf clearlvshowh in Figs. Zhhdfthe heater'includes a pluralityjcfsfnalldiameter-Icons 310i resistance. wire Supported at their; opposite 'endslby. sbestos blocks'i3fi 'and '35. "These asbestos iblocksfib and re respectively"supported 'on'the side walls of so a the base 5 by anglepiecest'l, 38. a

f'Th'einotor' 6 drives reel I byabelt 39, passing about he. motor p'uIley Z-R andthe reel pulleyffi Tl'ii's belt may be forrnedof -tliin coiled wire. To 4 changstlie "direction of the belt travel from -ahdiiiZ'Oh-tatlblane (a re'quimdlby t mfy v n vrticfarplahe '(to suit the film reel) ,idler pulley-s 4D ahdd l are rotatably SUDXJOItfidjlflgSllltablfe positiohs ona bar 42 which in turnissupporteden, bracketsfig as bylbeing weldedthereto. Belt-39 1 also aet it exert a foreetransverselyof. shait-l5 in a downward directiom so as to' confine;-theshaft against the: half-round slots 24;?5. V The. heate; and thernoter; i; areconnectedgin parallelby le ads; 3 31ltl-4f h h, being simultaneou s iy' con-trolled -by-a switc". 4 A; conventional. cable 46 conneets thedrier with a-suitable-source oielectriccurrfent. v a I--0, permit 1 access 2 to: the motor and heater: the bot/temper" the'base di -may bev in the form not :a

has fan opening L9,

all

reel. 7 5

covert; hingedr'to the base at 348 and;provid'ed posed emulsion side of the film. The drying opei'ationunay'be continued as long as necessary.

In-case out. film is to be dried, the form of reel shoiv'n'inFi'gs. (Sand '7 is preferable. This reel includes'end plates 6| and 62, similar to plates H and I2, being,. provi ded .withopenings 63, Site receive the shaft [5 and unvmgrccnnecuon I 8. The plates are connectedby flat 'bars'5,jspabed approximatelyfth'e lejrieth or, painted hooks "66 fornie'iliii egral 7 vemmnal 'pi ng "claiifp 'Jss; Intermediate: each; pair of hoolisiih e'ach bar '65 has a .'J sldtBB,

' clamp ts, 'The"tehsiohiof theband 1c 'st'ret'cl'ies thefiim -ei; What claimed is; I v

=1. "In'afilm drier, 'ajhousing'upriglits' extending from tlie houslng, "nreans"f0rming mcooperation with the housing, rests forjthe uprights from wh. l

ts me atmosphere ane "having "a shaft rttatatry --su 1;cr teh bythe u rights; a motor i the lioelsing for drivingthe reel, and means for forcing air outwardly of the housing and in a general radial direction to the axis of the reel In a 'film' drier, a'housing'juprights *extenttr' ing from the housing-nieans fcr'mingin'coopera- ,tiori 'Wi'ththe housing, rests Ior the'uprights from which rests tl'i'e 1iprights mayberemovedya-shaft rotatabl mounted in open slctsfiormed respectively inthe-upri'gih-ts,alel Caf'liedby'the shaft,

fining the reel against the wall of zth'e sl'ots, andv means foriiorcirrgiair outwardly f of the :housi'ng an'dlinz azg eneral radialzdirectionntoithe axis. of the FRANCIS: c. FREY.

hres't's the uprights may be "removed, a reel 

